Queen of the Moors
by SwanMillsFiction
Summary: Picking from where the movie left. Aurora is now Queen of the Moors but there is also another realm she is responsible for. Her father's actions have left a kingdom in despair and the only one who can bring peace might be that with whom everything started, but Maleficent might not be there to help her. #Malora.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't _own_ Maleficent, though I wish I did with all my heart! Romantically, of course. lol**  
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><p><strong>Queen of the Moors<br>****Chapter 1**

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><p>The fair folk cheered and Aurora beamed; her honest and open smile shinning as brightly as the golden sun. Her heart beat rapidly from the excitement of being accepted as Queen of the Moors, but it was the thought of her human kingdom what erased that smile when the celebration was over and all the small creatures went home as the sun came down.<p>

Some lived under water, others found shelter in caves and there were others who like Maleficent, preferred to have their nests in the heights so no one would bother them. Where would Aurora live? She asked herself. If she hadn't been to that palace, if she hadn't met her mad father; she wouldn't be suffering this inner struggle. She wouldn't be torn in between two realms.

When she learned about the curse and run away to the castle, she met poverty in the streets of the human kingdom. There were children begging for bread, with their clothing ragged and eyes full with un-shed tears. It was so different from the Moors and she didn't like being there, but she felt responsible for these persons she saw suffering — partly because of her.

Her father had gone mad after Maleficent cursed her as a child and his fear mixed with hunger for power, for dominance, destroyed whatever innocence had been left in his heart. It turned into a cold stone with no light that cared for nothing else but his vengeance on the wicked fairy that humiliated him before the entire realm that wretched day: her christening.

Aurora was the most innocent in all of this but she couldn't avoid feeling the weight of her father's actions fall on her. He had, after all, done all of this to protect her. He sent her away, he made every spinning wheel be thrown to a big pit to burn into nothingness, but it was his persistent hunt for Maleficent what cost his kingdom the most.

The attacks he commanded and the retaliation received whenever the Evil Fairy came out to face his army had cost the realm more than just wealth, many lives were lost. From only the attack to the Wall of Thorns, less than a third of his knights came back home. Hundreds of men couldn't escape that incandescent night of fire, ashes and blood.

A crusade that went on for sixteen years, where many wives lost their husbands; others had to mourn their sons, and those hundreds of homes lost their primary source of income and lost it all. There was too much discontent in the human world and no one to account it for. King Stefan, the Vicious — as the rabble called him, may have gone but their necessities and pain remained. Who would answer for the bloodshed, hunger and suffering to them now?

"Aurora," Maleficent called, breaking her out of her moment of reverie. She approached and looked into sapphire eyes with concern. "Is something troubling you, Beastie?" The fairy made a movement, as if to try reaching for her, but stopped midway and her hand went to rest on the sphere atop her staff.

"No…" Aurora shook her head lightly and offered a small smile to her fairy godmother, but Maleficent could see through the forced gesture and frowned, unconvinced. "…Yes." The young Queen started to fidget with her hands nervously. "Where is home?" She looked at her fairy with confusion.

At this question, Maleficent felt the air blow cold. "All of the Moors is your home, Aurora. Or is it your wish to go back to the old cottage?" The fairy made a pause but then it occurred to her that maybe Aurora meant somewhere else and averted her eyes. "If it is the human palace you miss, I will have Diaval escort you to your destiny safely." Maleficent said calmly but Aurora could sense distress in her voice.

"No, no." The maiden replied and took a step closer, she looked into iridescent eyes deeply and placed a gentle hand on Maleficent's arm. "I meant to ask… Where is our home? I mean, where is yours?" Aurora blushed and Maleficent felt something move inside her. _Our home._ Two simple words but they made her feel something swirl inside her, but decided to ignore this feeling so foreign to her and yet not completely strange.

Maleficent smiled, partly amused, partly proud, but also with a tint of dismay. "Come, Beastie." She began to walk through the woods, between lush foliage and glowing creatures of the night that flew around both women, illuminating the road for the both of them as they walked.

They reached to a small hill from where the fay could have a clear view of her childhood home. "Up there." Maleficent turned her gaze to the horizon and with her chin pointed to a solitaire tree that stood on a cliff in the distance. It was high and far, only a winged creature could make it safely to such a place. Aurora was a good climber but not fit enough for a task of this magnitude, she figured. She looked up and smiled, but then turned to Maleficent to ask, "How am I going to get there, Godmother? I don't have wings to fly."

Maleficent turned her gaze back from the tree to Aurora and inhaled deeply, thoughtful for a long moment. That tree was her haven and she hadn't been there since the night her wings were stolen, coming back would move things inside her and she didn't know if she wanted for Aurora to see it, but she also didn't have it in her to turn her away. "I shall be your wings, Beastie."

Aurora smiled and came closer, she looked up to meet glowing eyes once again and felt her heart race inside her. It was strange how it would always do this whenever she was close to her Godmother. Maleficent looked down at the Queen and proud wings opened wide and flapped showing off their magnificence – Aurora could swear they had a mind and character of their own and wanted to impress her.

"Hold on tightly." Maleficent said as her arms came to surround the petite body, firmly and yet so gently. Aurora's cheeks turned a rosy hue as she wrapped her arms around the slender torso, but when her face pressed against the fae's chest; it was Maleficent's heart the one to go winding. Aurora could listen to her heartbeat and for a moment she was lost in that rhythm she could hear drumming, until she felt a pull bring her legs up in the faerie's arm and had to hold on to Maleficent's neck instead.

A gust of air and the loss of ground under their feet soon made her aware they were now in the air. The young blonde gripped tighter and Maleficent looked down at her to smile warmly. "I would never let you fall," she told her and Aurora blushed a shade redder. She had never been this close to her fairy godmother and wished they could fly until dawn found them.

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><p><strong>Note:<strong> Picking from where the movie left. Not sure where I'm going to take it yet, this just popped in my head. I will be traveling in RL and use the time to think about it. Share your thoughts and ideas!


	2. Chapter 2

**Note:** Thank you for the favs, follows and reviews! Longer chapters to come as I now have a better idea of the plot.

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><p><strong>Queen of the Moors<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

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><p>They came to the tree that had been Maleficent's shelter before her wings and innocence had been ripped off from her by that whom she believed her best friend… her <em>True Love<em>. She'd tried coming back to this place in the past, but even if her determined step and strong will could've brought her home, it still would remind her of painful youth dreams; dreams she didn't have the strength to face and memories she needed to bury together with her missing wings.

Maleficent would always do the same; turn her back to the tree, summon Diaval's presence and fly away with his wings in whichever form she saw fit that day. Seeing her tree filled her with memories of a life that seemed almost someone else's now, but Aurora coming to her side and taking her hand helped Maleficent leave those thoughts behind. She looked into curious violet-blue eyes that carried only innocence and truth in them and wished she'd never have to see them closing ever again —for the last time had been in a _sleep-like death_ and the fairy felt a knot form in her throat at the fresh memory; the image still vivid and nightmarish.

"Is that your nest?" Aurora asked with excitement as her index finger pointed to the largest branch where thick wood had shaped into a cradle, interwoven with smaller branches that held new sprouts of green on them. "Yes, Beastie. That's where I used to dream… once long ago." Maleficent's semblance turned somber.

Aurora felt she had to numb the pain bleeding through Maleficent's gloom, somehow. "Godmother," the human Queen called softly. "we'll be dreaming together in this place now." The maiden offered a bright smile.

Maleficent blinked, she hadn't intended to sleep in this place again, nor had she considered for Aurora to make home here… _with her_. She really hadn't thought about any of this; she'd offered the lass to come live in the Moors but imagined she would build her a home with magic somewhere close —perhaps the abandoned human castle could be brought back to life for her Queen of grace, but she'd never thought of sharing the same roof, definitely not the same nest.

"Aurora…" Maleficent placed a hand over Aurora's still on hers holding the staff. "I haven't slept in a tree since… before you were born. I've been spending my nights in the shadows of a forlorn castle that shall now be your home," said the fairy before gently pulling Aurora close. "I will fly us there."

The fairy brought them to that obscure ruined castle she'd inhabited for close to two decades, but which she never took the time or care to embellish for her own stay. Diaval followed behind them in his raven body and came to stand on broken column close to where Aurora stood pensive.

"Here?" Aurora looked with disbelief at her fairy godmother and back to the ruined fortress. *Awk* Diaval nodded.

It was a ghostly vision only made more terrifying by the full moon shinning upon it, casting shadows that seemed to move with own life and making her feel chills down her spine. _Would Maleficent make her live here all alone?_ She felt dismayed at the idea but she was no child anymore and didn't want to show weakness, so she took a deep breath and accepted the homestead Maleficent was assigning her.

"I mean, here is perfect. Thank you, Godmother." She curtsied.

Maleficent looked at Aurora and smiled lightly with amusement. _Of course Aurora would accept whatever she was given;_ she had too kind of a heart to demand anything, but Maleficent wouldn't make her beloved protégé live in the darkness she was forced enduring.

The tall fairy moved with grace past the lass staring with curiosity and golden smoke and light made broken stone lift from the ground to rebuild the castle that had once seen days of glory and beauty. Her hands then summoned from the depths of earth lush fruit trees to surround the chateau and hundreds of different flowers, herbs and grass spurt from the black soil to bring life back to the abandoned summer palace.

Aurora watched in awe the magical event happening before her and a big smile formed in her mouth; it was a stunning sight and it made her excited to go inside to explore every room this palace embodied. _Which would be hers?_ _Which would be Maleficent's? Would Diaval have his own bedchambers or a perch? _She was thrilled about finally living together as a family. She ran inside and Maleficent followed with a slow step behind her, summoning magical candles to light the interior as they walked through long hallways, chambers and just every place the cheerful young lady wished exploring.

Maleficent didn't find human buildings appealing on the slightest, but seeing her curious beastie so happy to find a bed in one of the chambers made the fairy's heart swell; nothing filled her with more joy than seeing Aurora's smile.

"You should have some rest now, Beastie. It's been a long day." Maleficent approached slowly and summoned a last candle on her nightstand. "I shall see you tomorrow by the nymph lake." The fairy said before turning around to walk to the door.

"You're not staying?" Aurora asked shyly and looked doleful, and Maleficent turned her head lightly over her shoulder to side-glance the Queen of the Moors.

"I'm afraid I can't. I've got something to do, Beastie. Sleep well."

The wicked fairy continued her path and called Diaval once outside the small palace. "Into a dragon." She turned him and ordered to guard the castle. Even if it had been centuries since humans abandoned that summer chateau, she still wouldn't risk leaving Aurora all by her own. Things in the human realm weren't harmonic, they had never been, and she had a latent feeling of fear concerning her Beastie's wellbeing.

Maleficent flew to where the wall of thorns had been and considered bringing it back. She could hear even from there the screams of protest in the human kingdom and didn't want those wingless beasts coming near the Moors again, but she knew Aurora wouldn't be pleased if she were to surround their domain by black thorns once more.

The fairy took a deep breath and looked up to the moon and then down again. "No man, woman or child shall pass this barrier if ill of heart." Maleficent intoned and a golden light shone in a circle that went all around the Moors briefly to prevent their land from being entered by those who meant harm.

Maleficent then went back to her lone tree and sat with her back laying against the trunk. She caressed the bark she missed touching and allowed tears to flow freely now that no one was watching. The Moors was sleeping and she had this moment for her and her dear tree; her haven; her childhood innocence and memories.

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><p>The first rays of light filtered through the foliage and Maleficent opened her eyes to witness the sunrise. Big wings stretched out and flapped and the fairy opened her arms, closed her eyes and jumped off the branch that was closest to the cliff; free falling blindly until tan wings spread on their own just a mere distance from sapphire water and flying up high once more, gliding through the woods, mountains and many rivers.<p>

Maleficent flew right into the clouds, enjoying herself like in her childhood, and even went higher than she ever tried before. There were clouds higher above she had never explored and strong wings flapped with more vigor than they'd ever known to posses. Bright green-gold eyes then barely distinguished a shape in the distance, something hidden behind a white fog, and forced her wings to bring her closer.

The adventurous fae found a floating island from where water fell to form the mist all around it and from where clouds seemed to be born —if she dared say. But her rapid flight brought her straight to the waterfall and Maleficent couldn't stop her wings in time before crashing; her eyes opened wider and her mouth gaped, but her biggest surprise was disappearing behind the curtain of water and landing inside a mysterious cave in the bottom of the floating isle.

The place she found herself in presented a mystical vision even to her, with a spring in the center bubbling with water that was gold in color but still translucent. Thousands of tiny lights twinkled in the inside to illuminate the rocky cavern of huge crystals and precious stones that glowed with life and the wisdom of ages. Maleficent was stunned for some time, unable to think or move, just looking all around her in a state of admiration.

Even the fair people believed this place a myth. She remembered similar descriptions of a place like this in folk tales and songs shared by the elders as "the source of life and all things magic," and anyone who could find it would be graced with eternal life, wisdom and power. She thought of Aurora this moment and it downed on her that the Queen of the Moors was human and her lifespan not nearly a third of a fairy's. If the myth were true, she had to bring her here.

"And not a day shall pass that I don't miss your smile," mumbled the fairy as she walked closer to the bubbling water in the center.

A sound echoed in stone and Maleficent held her staff and made it glow in defense. "Show yourself." The wicked fairy ordered but then realized it had been one of four crystal pillars what had vibrated.

"Thou who found the source of life shall no longer go back to solid ground." A male voice came from a blue quartz pillar.

"Who speaks?" Maleficent questioned but a different voice came from a ruby pillar on the opposite.

"That was Ardan, Bearer of Wisdom." A female voice resounded. "And I'm Neri, Keeper of the Gemstone of Destiny, Maleficent."

Maleficent's brow furrowed at hearing her name without having given it, but let down her guard and decided to start walking to the edge of the rock that lead to the same opening from where she'd entered. This place, while beautiful, seemed more a cage made of gold and sparkles.

"Child, where are you going? We have the fountain from which you may drink power, wisdom and life for eternity." A different voice asked her, coming from an amber pillar glowing as it spoke to her.

"I'm not interested. I have somewhere to be," answered the wicked fairy as her wings spread and flapped angrily.

"Leaving is no option, you see, for once you've managed to come here you are meant to be sealed." Neri said and Maleficent's wings flapped to take flight, but the opening to the secret cave began closing and she could no longer escape through the waterfall.

"You would know." Maleficent scowled at the Keeper of the Gemstone of Destiny while hovering in the air before the now closed entrance. "But you must also know I don't submit." The wicked fairy shot a green ray of light with her staff toward the ruby pillar, but the energy was absorbed and the fae couldn't believe what she was seeing. Nothing, no one, had ever been a match to her grand powers.

Amber glowing vines then came from the ground and walls and latched at her feet and wrists, trapping her in their clasp.

"Maleficent." A new voice resounded in the cavern, but this one was vaguely familiar and the wicked fairy could feel it echo in her memories.

It had come from an amethyst pillar and the fae felt her heart beat much faster when a petite figure began to emerge from the center of the glowing quartz; she tried to focus her sight on the eerie creature but the bright light made it difficult.

"Maia." The petite fae said this time and Maleficent felt her eyes well up with tears; this had to be a dream, a vision, or an evil joke from these magical beings keeping her hostage.

"Quillglow, please release her." The gossamer-winged woman commanded and vines lowered Maleficent down and released their grip on her.

"Safeyya…" Maleficent mumbled. "You can't be real." She made her staff glow but couldn't really bring herself to attack this fairy.

"I am." The lavender-haired woman answered and wrapped her arms around the slender frame of the wicked fairy. "My little Maia, how much I've missed you." Glistening tears fell from iridescent eyes similar to Maleficent's.

"You abandoned us," said Maleficent with a breaking voice as she pushed the good fairy away from her. "I won't do to them what you did to us. I won't stay in a place such as this, where greed draws fairies away from their families in pursuit of unholy myths," said the tall fae with disdain. "Enjoy your power, eternal youth and uncaring wisdom while I enjoy whatever time I may have with my… with Aurora."

Maleficent turned her back to her mother, spread her wings and with force made her staff bury into stone to make a crack on the surface, and focused all her energy and might to make green and gold light impact the ground to open a way outside.

"You can't leave, Maia." Safeyya came closer, waved a hand and made all of Maleficent's effort be in vain. The enchanted staff turned back into a powerless twig and the wicked fairy fell on her knees exhausted. "Just like I couldn't… Such are the rules of the timeless realm."

"No!" Maleficent hit the ground with her fists. "Let me go if you ever cared for me at all." She groaned, tears pooling in eyes glowing with rage and impotence.

"Even if she would, we couldn't allow it." Quillglow told her.

"This place can only exist in myth; live in songs and tales. I hope you can find it in your heart to understand, Maia." Ardan spoke this time, his voice heavy with age but kind.

"Stop calling me that!" Maleficent growled and everyone went silent. "I won't ever speak of this place or come back, you have my word." Maleficent tried to convince them, but Neri told her it was because she could see in the facets of destiny that they couldn't release the wicked fairy. A time would come when despair would turn her to the timeless realm with the golden spring and her word would be forgotten in the air.

"At least let me say good-bye. Let me see her a last time…" The wicked fairy pleaded.

Safeyya came to her side and helped her stand up; walked her to the golden bubbling water and asked her too look inside. Her reflection began to blur and the image of Aurora dipping her feet in the nymph lake appeared. The young Queen was waiting for Maleficent but her fairy godmother was nowhere to be seen. Diaval, the dragon, came flying and shook his head in negative when Aurora asked if he had found his Mistress. The confused girl huffed but waited, she waited for hours but Maleficent never came.

Diaval brought some black nuts for the Queen to eat because she refused leaving the place Maleficent had said where to meet and it was until late night when she fell asleep that Diaval carried her with care inside his claw back to the summer palace and left her in the balcony of her bedchambers. Aurora wasn't happy about it but she couldn't deny she was exhausted and slowly climbed to bed to rest.

Maleficent saw the image fade away and asked her mother if the reflection had shown what was going to happen in the day or, worse, if it was the actual lapse but seeing it from this realm with no sense of time. A whole day had passed before her eyes in a candle mark and the revelation shocked her. Aurora could be gone even sooner than she'd already feared, if this was the actual pace of time she was seeing.

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><p><strong>Meanings of the names.<strong>  
>Safeyya.- One who is pure and innocent. | Maia.- Goddess of spring and growth. | Ardan.- High aspiration. | Neri.- Burning light or light of God.<br>Quillglow.- This name was random (reminded me of Willow).

**Question!** Does anyone know how long a candle mark usually represents? I've found different answers. Some say 20 minutes, others claim an hour; it depends on the thickness of the candle, but I think I will go with an hour.


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